ENVIRONMENTAL health and food safety officers have inspected 670 premises and contacted more than 1,000 food businesses in Taunton Deane and West Somerset in the past year.
The visits by enable them to assess firms under the food hygiene rating scheme and there were 25 re-score inspections to reassess outlets with a poor rating.
The two councils, who plan to merge, have been in a formal partnership for three years employing a single team of officers.
Erica Lake, environmental health manager for Taunton Deane Borough Council and West Somerset Council, said: “This number of visits is a great achievement for our team and demonstrates the high level of contact that we have with food businesses in the Taunton Deane and West Somerset area.”
Local authorities are now able to charge for re-score inspections and officers are currently working with other Somerset councils to investigate levels of charging which could come into force next spring.
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